The remains in the Ancient Boat Museum of Quanzhou Bay

The ancient harbor of Quanzhou reached the peak of its prosperity due to maritime traffic and trade during the Song (960-1279) and Yuan (1279-1368) dynasties. The city left behind abundant materials and cultural items, such as Dehua porcelain, because of its status as an export hub. The history was further illuminated thanks to the discovery of a shipwreck from the time.

During that period, plenty of merchant ships loaded with fine porcelain sailed from Quanzhou around the maritime Silk Road, to Northeast Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Persian Gulf and the east coast of Africa.
 

The ancient city of Quanzhou was dotted with all kinds of porcelain kilns, and more than 100 kiln sites have been unearthed. Hundreds of goods were delivered to different countries from Quanzhou port, and it was regarded as a global distribution center for cargo of the era. Archaeologists across the world have also found Quanzhou merchandise in recent years, further supporting its status as one of the largest oriental ports.
 

The Quanzhou shipwreck is the biggest and best-preserved ancient vessel to be recovered in the China Sea. It was a typical Fu-chuan Junk, named after the place it was produced: Fujian Province of China. With a sharp bottom, a large deck and an up-curved bow and stern, the seagoing junk had a displacement of 400 tons and a carrying capacity of 200 tons. The remains, with a length of 24.4 meters and width of 9.15 meters, show that advanced ship building techniques were established in the Song Dynasty. The ancient city of Quanzhou was famous for its sophisticated shipbuilding technology and it was recorded in ancient books, but the wreck is a piece of physical evidence of these written records.